Self-defense training and women's fear of crime

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between self-defense training and women's fear of crime and feelings of physical competence. Forty-nine women enrolled in Positive Action self-defense courses in Hamilton, New Zealand, participated in the study, completing a pre- and post-test that measured fear of eight specific crimes and feelings of confidence regarding their ability to defend themselves successfully from individual and group attacks. The pre-test was also given to a control group consisting of women enrolled in physical fitness coarses at the YWCA. After participating in the training, students reported a significant reduction in fear of all eight crimes and a significant increase in their confidence in their ability to defend themselves. Comparisons between the pretraining scores of the test group and the control group revealed that the control group reported a significantly lower mean fear of rape and also felt more confident that they would be able to defend themselves from one unarmed attacker; however, after participating in the course, the test group reported a significant increase in confidence compared to the control group's initial confidence level, suggesting that even women with some degree of confidence in their physical competence might benefit from participation in the course.